Bill > H663

This bill, titled "The Plastic Bag Reduction Act," aims to reduce plastic bag pollution by amending Chapter 21 of the official laws. It defines key terms such as "postconsumer recycled material," "recycled paper bag," "reusable grocery bag" (which must be designed for at least 175 uses and made of durable material), and "single-use carryout bag" (any bag provided by a store at the point of sale that isn't a recycled paper or reusable bag, with specific exceptions like bags for prescription medication or unwrapped food). The bill also defines "store" as a retail establishment with at least 3,000 square feet of public space or three locations under the same brand. Starting July 1, 2017, stores will be prohibited from providing single-use carryout bags and will instead be allowed to sell reusable grocery bags and recycled paper bags for a minimum charge of ten cents. Additionally, stores can sell compostable plastic bags until July 1, 2021, after which they can only sell marine degradable plastic bags for a minimum charge of ten cents. All money collected from these bag sales will be kept by the store. The Department of Environmental Protection will create regulations for enforcement, and this chapter is intended to be a statewide standard, preventing local governments from enacting their own conflicting ordinances on these types of bags after September 1, 2016, unless they had existing ordinances in place before that date.